Love

One little moment of a day you keep your youth,

by Vidyapati c. 1352-1448

Translated by Ananda Coomaraswamy and Arun Sen (1915) · From Bangiya Padabali (trans. 1915)

Love

Dūtikā:
One little moment of a day you keep your youth,--
The days are floating by:
Evil and good, these two will travel at your side,--
The only final gain is what you give to others.

Beauty, you have had part in killing Hari,
All day and night he thinks of only you,--
This is his hour of separation!

In sorrow's sea he swims or sinks,--
Show him your globéd breasts:
O worthy fair one, Gokula's Lord preserve,
And win the praise of the Triple Worlds!

Of a myriad lovers, whosoever looks on Kāna,
Deems that day is blest:
Frenzied is Hari by reason of your fury
The poet Vidyāpati avows.

✦ ✦ ✦

Wilfulness, LXII

MLA

Vidyapati. “One little moment of a day you keep your youth.” Translated by Ananda Coomaraswamy and Arun Sen. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/vidyapati/61/.

Chicago

Vidyapati. “One little moment of a day you keep your youth.” Translated by Ananda Coomaraswamy and Arun Sen. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/vidyapati/61/.

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